Saturday, May 31, 2008

I have had some things this past week that I found quite hard to put in perspective. And also, very maddening and complicated and stupid and annoying and terrible.

I have to ask you a question, though, first.

Has any of you ever lost someone close to you? I mean, really close? I haven't.

But my friend Michael has.

Michael's father, Joe, passed away peacefully surrounded by his large family in the wee hours of Thursday morning, of cancer. When my class found out, from the pastor, Father Charlie, on Thursday morning, alot of us were crying and we were all VERY serious, for once.

Father's Day is in one week.

Can you imagine your father passing away ONE WEEK before Father's Day? Can you imagine your father passing away ONE MONTH before your graduation from grade school, and your brother's from high school? Can you imagine your daddy dying TWO MONTHS before your big brother's wedding? Can you imagine your daddy dying ONE YEAR before his first grandchild comes into this world?

Can you imagine?

I can't comprehend any of it.

What do you think we should say to Michael when he comes back to school? How are we going to joke around him? How are we going to talk about stupid movies, or gossip, or laugh around him EVER AGAIN????

I don't know, I don't know, I don't know.

Help us, here in our humble class and our humble group of friends, please!!!!

Monday, May 26, 2008

First of all, I would love to take this oppurntunity to thank you all for being patient with me while I had company from Germany for the past two weeks. It was a blast, I can tell you! We hit all the high spots around Ontario; we even sprinted through down town Toronto in order to catch our GOtrain back out of the city.

We had to stop at the lights, though. That was a bit of a hold-up. (We did catch the train, by the way, in case you're wondering.

And I played Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock for the FIRST time a few weeks ago. Man, did I ever SUCK! I love the songs though! XBOX 360 was the gaming console of my choice.

And Canada's Wonderland was AWESOME! Although, I cannot see how some lunatics would go on Behemoth, I just can't comprehend it!

I've been contemplating doing a contest (other than my polls) but i don't have any ideas for one. Could you guys please leave some suggestions on the comment pages? Thanks, you're all dolls.

I love this one blog about writing. It is informative, beautifully written and helpful. It really makes me revise and edit my writing alot better. It's http://www.eileenastels.blogspot.com/ . Don't be intimidated by the fact that Eileen deals with a certain denomination and a certain genre. Most of her tips can be converted over to use in any form that you write in. Enjoy!

I have decided to have a mixxture of posts. They will all hopefully be a bit of writing help and a bit of nothing, like what I'm writing about now. That's my favourite kind of posts!

Well, I'd best be signing off now. If you're wondering what this chart over here is, it's a writing chart, that my teacher actually gave me. But it really helps me think my editing through, to make sure that my writing is the best that it can be.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

I have decided to begin my study on Believable Characters. I had to take notes and everything and organise what I was going to say before I just slapped it down in writing on my blog! I have been taking these notes from Writing the Christian Romance by Gail Gaymer Martin, which is an exceedingly helpful book, disregarding the genre or denomination you write in/about.

Okay, so now I begin.

Believable characters must be solid, 3-D individuals with depth, goals, needs, motivation and complex emotions. Your characters- to be believable characters- have to change and grow, a little or alot, along the course of your story. Your characters are naturally impacted by the events and situations that you place them in in your story.

The reader's greatest wish is to be able to connect and relate to your amazing, 3-D characters. If your characters are "real" to them, then they will be able to do just that, because your character's plights in themselves or those around them.

The past is what formulates your character's present and future; it's what makes up their goals, weaknesses and present needs. Characters need to have flaws. Flaws are what connects you to other people and will be what connects readers to your hopefully fabulous characters. An unflawed character is like an unflawed, 2-D cartoon character, not a compelling, believable character that readers can relate to.

When you are forming a character's backstory (which will discuss on a later date) give them situations they want to forget and hide from others- secrets that smother their growth until somehting or someone else in your story uncovers it to learn the truth. In stories, and in real life, people can't hide from the past. They may try to cover it up if it is particularly ugly, but it still affects their relationships, values, actions, and behaviours. Some people construct their pasts on a foundation of lies or twisted truths, and try to make sure their flimsy "lie structures" don't collapse around them.

Okay, so not EVERY SINGLE one of your characters needs a deep, dark sin, but still, there must be SOMETHING there that they wish to hide.

Although flaws are major in the creation of your compelling characters, you must keep the character's positive attributes foremost in the reader's minds. Characters with a strong desire to change (for the better) are the type of characters readers love.

The best thing that you could ever give to ALL major characters is a passion and determination to succeed (even the villain). Blending weaknesses and strengths will help you create compelling, beautifully put-together, believable characters that will make your story the belle of the ball.

Which is what you want, of course!

That concludes my study on What Makes Characters Believable. Next post we will be looking at some techniques and Characters, Story and Theme.

The Love Chapter

"If I speak in tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing."